Lankaran is one of the most beautiful cities in Azerbaijan. It is located on the coast of the Caspian Sea. This city is in the south of Azerbaijan, and it is a neighbor with Iran. The population of Lankaran is about 226.799, and it is for 2018. The history of the city goes back to the Neolithic period. There are some human settlements found in this area. Besides, some of the ruins date back to the periods of Bronze and Iron Ages. As this city is near the Caspian Sea, there are sandy beaches here. Because of this location, thermal water like chloride, sulfide, sodium-calcium are located in this area. They are approximately 12 km west of the town. It is possible to see the ruins of ancient Ballabur castle in this city as well. It is on the west side of the town in the same name as the village. Due to its amazing green nature as well as old historical places, people are interested in this city. They want to come and visit sightseeing, especially for the kindness and hospitality of people. That is why the number of visitors who enter this city has increased recently.
The ancient history of the town
In the same name as the city or town has an ancient history. İt is considered one of the oldest parts of Azerbaijan. It is due to the proof that this ancient history of this city comes from the Bronze Age. The location of this city was always the main point in its history. Because of the place which is between Europe and Asia, the city was the first address of international caravan routes. It was due to this reason that in 1742 the city became the capital. Talysh Khanate chose Lankaran as an ancient settlement to be the capital city to its region. Therefore, this area of Azerbaijan is considered one of the major cities.
The city owns a lot of ancient historical monuments, and one of the attractive ones is Fortress in the city. It is a magnificent old monument which was built in the 18th century for them from the attackers. This building was considered one of the necessary military fortifications. The main goal was to defend Talysh Khanate. Although the tower was so famous, later it was demolished and two mosques constructed instead of it. Recently, people are mainly interested in these kinds of places where you can genuinely feel the history. That is why everyone wants to come and see these mosques and the number of visitors to the monuments as well as the region have increased.
There are several historical places in this area which attract many tourists to come and see these must-see places. These old places are the following:
Maiak
Tomb of Seyid Khalifa
Yanar Bulag ( Burning Spring in English)
Gizil Agaj National Reserve
Old Prison and Lighthouse
The first historical and old place in Lankaran is what we call Maiak. It is an old prison and lighthouse. This prison or tower is so famous, and every local, as well as people who want to visit, and are interested in this place. Joseph Stalin held in this old prison for some period. That is why this monument is famous, especially for the reason that the President of Azerbaijan helped Stalin to get rid of this place with the help of the underground tunnel. After this event, the historical monument became quite famous.
Tomb of Seyid Khalifa
This monument is one of the historical architects of Lankaran. It is situated in the village of Jil which is nearby Lankaran. The Tombs of Seyid Khalifa built in the 19th century. The tombs consist of tall and heavy stones. If you have a chance to visit this beautiful city of Azerbaijan and see this historical monument make sure to pay attention to the rocks. It is because they are inscribed with different pictures. They are arrows, hands, footprints, and other things. Due to all the interesting facts, the place is so famous as an ancient monument that is considered one of the best tourist attractions.
Burning Spring
This place is one of the impressive monument of town that is considered the historical tourist attraction to see. It is Yanar Bulag in Azerbaijan Language, and as it seems from the name of burning spring, it consists of hot water. This spring emits hot water as well as fire at the same time. This Yanar Bulag is located on the highway where two towns of Lankaran and Astara joins. It is said that this water is so helpful for many things as it has therapeutic properties. So a lot of visitors come for this purpose. This hot spring is so unique. It is a recreational property and the reason its burning is because of the high methane inside. Although this methane, water is so helpful for everyone. People sometimes know the region for this hot spring, and they come to collect water from different areas. Besides, tourists like to drink water for taking a mouthful drink.
As the firing spring is a weird and exciting place to visit a lot of people come to see it and use its medicinal properties. Besides, this unusual feature of this hot spring is because of Azerbaijan’s abundant oil and gas reserves. It is said that the firing spring is related to Zoroastrianism. It is a religion that combines water and fire. There are no remaining of this religion today, and it doesn’t exist. It was 2000 years ago that this religion was founded. It is because of the local phenomena.
National Reserve- Gizil Agaj
Gizil Agaj is a state national reserve with 88.360 hectares, and it is a home of thousands of animals. This place will be much exciting who want to see rare species of birds. They are countless, and all are living in this reserve. Some unique birds like flamingos, ducks, and swans are possible to found here. They are entered into the Red Book of our country. These birds were the ones that migrating to our country Azerbaijan during winter. Besides birds, you can easily see various fish types here in the National Reserve. It is because of the location which is near to the gulf. This national reserve is the best place for visitors who are eco-tourism fans. They can visit this park and enjoy the nature of the abundant forests that are protected by the government. Therefore, Gizil Agaj National Reserve is opened place for everyone and one of the most exciting and fantastic places in Lankaran. This State National Reserve could be impressive for anyone, especially for people who haven’t seen this kind of reserve before. They can either use to enjoy their day by themselves or any guidance help. It is much more comfortable and fast to use a guide direction. It is because that person will know a foreign language which will make communication easier for tourists and the best destinations in the region. The best must-see places to add the visit list because of the historical places and natural sightseeing to eating drink and visit. That is why if you are eager to see all the beauties of this region, make sure to get guidance and enjoy your day productively!
